Université de Fribourg

Impact of bottom water currents on benthic foraminiferal assemblages in a cold-water coral environment: The Moira Mounds (NE Atlantic)

Fentimen, Robin ; Lim, Aaron ; Rüggeberg, Andres ; Wheeler, Andrew J. ; Rooij, David Van ; Foubert, Anneleen

In: Marine Micropaleontology, 2020, vol. 154, p. 101799

Strong bottom currents play a key role in cold-water coral environments by shaping their morphology and providing the necessary food for the corals to thrive. This study investigates the differences between living and dead benthic foraminiferal assemblages in such environments, more precisely on the Moira Mounds (NE Atlantic). A specific focus is to understand the role of currents and their...

Université de Fribourg

New insights on coral mound development from groundtruthed high-resolution ROV-mounted multibeam imaging

Lim, Aaron ; Huvenne, Veerle A.I. ; Vertino, Agostina ; Spezzaferri, Silvia ; Wheeler, Andrew J.

In: Marine Geology, 2018, vol. 403, p. 225–237

Currents play a vital role in sustaining and developing deep water benthic habitats by mobilising food and nutrients to otherwise relatively barren parts of the seabed. Where sediment supply is significant, it can have a major influence on the development and morphology of these habitats. This study examines a segment of the Belgica Mound Province, NE Atlantic to better constrain the...

Université de Fribourg

Benthic foraminifera in a deep-sea high-energy environment: the Moira Mounds (Porcupine Seabight, SW of Ireland)

Fentimen, Robin ; Rüggeberg, Andres ; Lim, Aaron ; El Kateb, Akram ; Foubert, Anneleen ; Wheeler, Andrew J. ; Spezzaferri, Silvia

In: Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 2018, vol. 111, no. 3, p. 561–572

Cold-water coral ecosystems represent unique and exceptionally diverse environments in the deep-sea. They are well developed along the Irish margin, varying broadly in shape and size. The Moira Mounds, numerous small-sized mounds, are nestled in the Belgica Mound Province (Porcupine Seabight, North-East Atlantic). The investigation of living (Rose Bengal stained) and dead benthic...

Université de Fribourg

An overview on cold-water coral ecosystems and facies

Vertino, Agostina ; Spezzaferri, Silvia ; Rüggeberg, Andres ; Stalder, Claudio ; Wheeler, Andrew J.

In: Atlas of benthic foraminifera from cold-water coral reefs - Special Publication / Cushman Foundation For Foraminiferal Research, 2014, vol. 44, p. 12-19